The last several days have been very active ones as we seek to experience all we can of this beautiful park. Wednesday we went to the Ash River Visitor Center to get an additional stamp for the passport book, and since it was a cool day we were able to leave Olive in the truck and take a nice hike along Blind Ash Trail. The trail was only a few miles long but it was hard going with all the roots trying to trip us and the uneven rocky trail. We were pretty tired after that, so spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing some trip planning for campground stops later in our journey.

Yesterday we drove back up to International Falls and took the recreational trail out toward the Visitor Center. It is a 12 mile trail that has some nice sections but also some sections where it runs along the shoulder of the road. It isn’t well marked so we were glad to have stopped at the Visitor’s Bureau for a map. (They also gave us some great swag!) Unfortunately it was a bit sunny and hot for Olive in the pull-behind cart, so we only went about halfway on that trail. It was interesting, though, to see across Rainy River to Canada so close on the other side. We took a break in the little village of Rainier where there was a distillery / restaurant with great walleye sandwiches.

Today when we got up we noticed the lake was like glass. That is the first time it’s been smooth since we arrived. So Ray unpacked the kayaks and we had a great paddle on Kabetogama Lake. I even saw loons – which was so cool for me.

Tomorrow I’m looking forward to an afternoon tour on the north side of the lake. Maybe I’ll even get to see one of the little islands that you can camp on or stay at on a houseboat. That sounds like a great adventure for next time!